Mr. Roboto

Everyone who LOVES Target, raise your hand!!! I love that store. We went there last night to have some pictures developed and look around. When Red saw these 'jammas, he said,"Mama, I have to have those. They're JUST like Daddy's!" Franky has a pair of shorts like these he wears around the house.
After his nap today, he asked to wear them. Now he's parading around doing the robot dance and being silly. I had to snap a few pictures of this little peanut. He's just way too cute.
What a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Red Makes a Splash...

We have been having so much fun lately...Here's Red having a blast at his friend Emily's birthday party. It was all about water, right up Red's alley. There was a slip and slide, two kiddie pools filled to the brim, beach balls, bubbles, and a hot tub (cool water, of course) just for the 6 and under crowd!

I had to laugh, at one point there were about ten kids in the hot tub. One yells, "It's a Dance party!" On cue all of them started showing off their moves! I wish I would've had a video camera...

Speaking of "dance parties", we also went and saw the movie Mama Mia. It was too cute. ABBA now has a number one fan who's 3 1/2 feet tall, has red hair, freckles and knows almost every word to many of their songs!!!

At the movie, Red danced in the aisle and sang along with the music. The people behind us were cracking up! We now own a copy of the sound track which Red likes to listen to each morning while getting ready for school. :) His favorite song at the moment is Dancing Queen!

Angel Kisses

{Prepare for gushiness...}

Every once and a while, I have one of these moments when I look at our little redhead. A flood of emotions comes over me as I realize how blessed we are to be his parents. Blessed that God trusted us in the care of this spirited boy. Blessed that each day we get to see him grow, explore and learn.

As I look at this picture, I see what an amazing boy Red is becoming. A boy who is destined for great things...you can tell by the bright shine in those big blue eyes and the spray of angel kisses across his nose.

We love you so much, Red!

Someone Call the Playdough Police...

Is it just me or are there others who just love the smell of playdough? (You're thinking I'm nuts? Just wait.)

Red has been having a really rough time at preschool lately. I've tried all sorts of things to get him to "do what your teachers ask", stop spitting (something he learned from one of "those" kids, because I KNOW he didn't think of THAT on his own...hmm), play nice with his friends, stop arguing, stop talking back, the list goes on and on.

So, today I decided to try a reward for good behavior (aka. blackmail). When I dropped Red off at school today I told him I was going to call his teacher to check on him. Instead, at lunch I dropped by and found out that he had been behaving well. This wasn't surprising to me as his day usually gets a little rocky around nap time. I knew if I could have an impact on the rest of the day, this was my chance.

I pulled him aside and told him he should be very proud of himself for having such an awesome day. Then, the bribe...I told him that if he continued to have a great day, there would be a wonderful surprise for him at home. One that he would be sooo excited about...PLAYDOUGH!!!

Red's eyes were bright with excitement. His hands together on his chest, a HUGE smile spread across his little freckled face. The kid LOVES playdough. His Mama, not so much...

I really do love the smell of playdough. But when it's in my house, that's about the only thing I love about it. I guess you could say I have a love/hate relationship with the stuff. I hate the little pieces that fall onto your floor, I hate the thought of it in my carpet, I hate that it gets deep into your finger nails where it stays for weeks, and the last (most) bothersome thing...I hate when someone mixes the colors...even just a little. There, I wrote it. (I told you you'd think I was nuts.) Does someone have a little control issue? Yepp. I actually think someone must have brain washed me at some point in my life. I feel that strongly about it.

Today, Red decided he was going to provide me with some much needed "therapy". He has this playdough set that someone got him for a birthday. I have had it hidden deep inside our pantry but I had promised, so I pulled it out. It came with four colors of playdough. Being the control freak I am, I opened two colors.

We started playing and honestly the set was so cool, I opened the other colors. Before I knew it, Red had mixed the blue and green. AAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!! I didn't say a word. Red says, "Look Mama. This fish is so colorful!!!" It was. It was actually very cool. I don't think I've EVER mixed the colors. It was AWESOME! He says,"Mama, lets mix ALL the colors together and make a colorful snake!!!" I say,"Go for it, Red!" (I'm actually freaking out, the Playdough Police are going to come and take our playdough away!!!) We played with the playdough for a good hour. Red had so much fun. I confess, I had fun playing with the playdough. I was still a little freaked out by the mixed colors. We now have three containers of "colorful" playdough as Red calls it.

Red helped clean up. The mess wasn't terrible.

Just before he went to sleep tonight he said , "I had fun playing playdough with you, Mama. I think we should do it again tomorrow."

OK, who cares about the stinking mixed colors! :)

Our Little Firecracker

We had a really nice and quiet 4th of July this year. My Uncle and his family came over in the afternoon and we BBQed and celebrated their daughter's 14th birthday. Great food and wonderful company.

Red has so much fun with Rachel. She is such a cutie! Red is already asking when she's coming back so they can play in the pool and eat more cake. :)

Our neighborhood was really quiet this year. Usually we set up chairs all along our cul de sac and everyone takes turns putting on a show. This year it was just us and two other families. It worked out great though. In the past, I think all of the fireworks intimidated our little firecracker. This year he was ready.

Franky put on his earphones (that he wears at the races) which made the sounds much more tolerable. Funny, Red can be the loudest thing in a room but if something else is loud, he can't stand it!:)

Red loved the little show Daddy put on for him. He even held the sparklers this year. It was so awesome to see him waving the sparklers, making shapes in the night sky. He was so impressed with himself. It reminded me of when I was young and thought that sparklers were the most beautiful thing about 4th of July.

As I sat and watched Alex, I began to miss my Mom and Dad. The 4th of July was always such a fun time at our house when I was growing up. We always worked our tails off preparing the house and yard for a huge BBQ that we had every year on that day.

We would play volleyball, badminton, croquet and swim. We ate great food and then would watch the fire works show. We OOOOed and AAHHed as the sky lite up with the bursts of color. Such an AwESoME time spent with family.

It was at one of these BBQs that Franky and I started dating. Such unforgettable memories...

Happy 4th of July.

Our Little Swimmer

How cute is this little redhead? His smile is like a ray of sunshine. Oh, how I love this boy!!! More pictures to come...

At Long Last

I have once again taken a break from the blogging world to chase Red, scrap a little, play in the swimming pool, play Wii, do a little redecorating for summer, wipe up the water left on the floor after Reese drinks (no joke). Ya-da ya-da....excuses, excuses.


So, for those of you who are stalking my blog (you know who you are!), this one's for you!!! : ) And, just so you know, I appreciate everyone who reads about this crazy/wonderful life we have. It's great to know that you take time out of your busy lives to stop and see what's happening with us.

June was a fun month. It got warm enough to enjoy the pool a little. Red loves splashing around on his kick board and is just starting to venture into the "sink or swim" phase of summer. That is what I call it when Red becomes brave enough to let go of the "life-saving" floatation device of choice and swim to me or to the side of the pool. With each passing summer, this phase begins a little earlier.

Red has a motivator this summer. You see, Reese is already jumping in and swimming to us...He LOVES the pool. I guess Red figures he can't be one upped by a dog! It was really funny the other day, we had put Reese outside the pool fence so that Red could practice (if we don't, Reese jumps in on top of Red...not good.). It takes Red a little while to warm up to the idea of swimming but he really wanted to show his Daddy the progress we had made. So I get out in the middle of the pool and count "1-2-3". Red says,"Wait! Wait! I have to stretch my legs!" He stretches them out to the sides and toward the back. Then with toes pointed stretches them straight out in front of him. "This is how 'they' do it." OK, Red. "Ready? 1-2-3..." Nothing happens. "Are you gonna jump, Red?" Reese is outside the fence whining. "Wait Mama. I have to do this." He sticks his head under water and blows bubbles. "See. You have to do that before you swim." OK. "Ready-Set-GO!!!" Still no jump. "Ok, Alex. Reeses really wants to get back in the pool. Are you gonna jump or what?" He finally jumps. I'll bet by the end of summer, he will start swimming. Then next summer we'll start all over again!

Fun times!

Watch Out, Tiger!

Actually, anyone standing in a five foot radius of Red better watch out!!! Today when we got home, there was a box on the front porch. When Red found out it was for him, he was thrilled. He says,"Mama, 'Brown' brought something for me!"

It's funny that he recognizes the "UPS" logo. He and his Daddy are always pointing out the delivery trucks. I explained that it was actually a present from his Mow and Papa. We went inside and called my parents so they could be part of the excitement of opening the gift.
I cut the tape on the box and Red opened it. He was so excited when he saw the contents. An awesome little Red-sized golf bag and a Nike driver. He immediately asks if we can go golfing. He was raring to use that "BIG" club. We headed out to the front yard so Red could try it out.Now Papa has taught Red some golf etiquette, but I have to say as soon as we got on the grass, the reckless swinging began! Hence the "Watch Out" title! Once I was able to get him focused, we sit a ball down. Red lines up and swings sending the ball far into our neighbor's yard. "That was COOL, Mama!!". It was. I'm just thankful there were no windows broken!

After much pleading/bargaining/manipulation, I was able to get Red to put his new gear away. I have promised to take him golfing on Friday. He can't wait! Thanks so much Papa and Mow. Red is one happy little guy!!!

**So, Dad, remember the time You, Me and Tracey were practicing pitching in our yard and you made the comment that if anyone broke a window, they were going to pay to have it fixed? I think it was your very next swing that sent your golf ball screaming through the windshield of MY car!!!

I mention this because I didn't see a Responsibility Disclaimer in with the clubs...So, if Red breaks a window, we'll go in halfers with you!!! jk :) Thank you both again. He's going to have some fun with that driver and bag. As he picked it up to carry it outside, he said,"Now I'm just like Papa and Daddy." Way too cute.

Front Yard Fun

This evening, we decided instead of our usual walk, that we would play in the yard instead. We started out in the back yard. We had to check out our garden to see if there was anything exciting going on there. There was. One of our summer squash plants has ten (yes, ten) little baby squash on it. Very soon, I predict we will have squash coming out our ears!!! I planted seven plants...

Our Roma tomatoes are also doing very well. Cumulatively (with all six plants), we have 9 tomatoes and lots of blooms. Red is very excited about our home grown produce and asked if we "could eat them now."

It's hard to tell him "no" when Reeses is munching out on the little green apples from our apple trees. They are about the size of a ping pong ball and I guess very tasty to him. :)

After checking out the bounty, we headed to the front yard. Reeses and Sophie joined us. It didn't take long before the dogs were enjoying their favorite chasing game. The one that inevitably ends in Reeses jumping into my lap (basically tackling me) because he needs protection from that mean little 10 pound Rat Terrier. Honestly, the dog thinks he's a Chihuahua!!!

Red and Reese played tag. Very comical. Red got tackled and almost lost his pants. We couldn't stop laughing at that. Our neighbors probably thought we had gone crazy over here. We simply had a blast!
We will definitely take a break from walking to do this again. Red is asleep. The dogs are pooped. I am enjoying the peace and quiet of the house. Doesn't get much better than that.

Doing His Work

I had to add this photo and tell the little story behind it. Since I was in the my scrap booking spot for most of the day, Red decided he wanted to do some art too. I pulled his table in the office, he brought his chair. I got out the crayons and a Cars coloring book and away he went.

Now, Reese has to be where ever I am. (I told my Aunt Sally just this evening, I feel like I have two toddlers!) Anyway, he was laying at my feet happily chewing on a rawhide. Sophie, our rat terrier comes in the room and takes the rawhide away then lays down a couple of inches from where Reese had just been. She taunts him, he taunts her. Then Reese gets upset and starts barking at her.

Red looks up from his color page and in a very serious tone says,"Reese, please be quiet. I'm doing my work."

Uh Oh...

For quite some time we have had a problem. You see, the neighbors who live directly behind us have three dogs. I know, so do we. There is a difference though. The neighbor's dogs bark constantly and have the very bad habit of digging into our yard. I guess it's the whole "grass is always greener" thing. They dig into our yard, use our grass as a restroom, eat our dogs' food and bark at our dogs while they stand in the center of OUR yard. To say the least this has been very frustrating. We have tried the following to rectify the situation:

1. Refill the holes as soon as they dig them. (didn't work)
2. Place pavers in the spots where they usually dig. (they dug somewhere else)
3. Talked to our neighbors. (hmm)
4. Installed a "hot" wire all along the back fence. (BINGO!)

This was working beautifully until Thursday. I guess while weeding the flower bed we caused the wire to become very loose. The biggest of the three dogs figured this out and dug a GINORMOUS hole into our backyard.

I happened to be letting our dogs into the back yard (Red in tow) when all of a sudden that big dog ran out of our dogs' kennel, across the grass and under the fence. I yelled, "Dumb dog, get in your own yard" (very effective) and threw one of Franky's tennis shoes at him (missed by a mile).

I was very distraught to see that not only had he dug that hole, but also ruined some of my flowers. AAAGGGHHH...

Red witnessed the whole account but didn't say a word.

Later that day, Alex was in our bedroom upstairs looking out the window. He notices a little girl playing in our neighbors' yard. He yells, "Hi". The little girl sees him and says "hi" back. Then Red yells, "You know, your dogs are digging holes in our backyard and it is making my Mom REALLY MAD!!!"

Twenty minutes later we were in the backyard and what do you know? The hole was filled.

Way to go, Red! (Watch what you say and DO around this guy!)

"Red"

Last week when I picked up Alex from school, his teacher pulls me aside. She has a big smile on her face so I am very relieved that it isn't one of "those"talks. She proceeds to tell me this story:

The kids had all been playing in the art & drama room. It was getting close to lunch so the teachers were asking the kids to start picking things up and get ready to line up to go into the lunch room.

Alex had been helping to pick up but when his teacher called his name to have him line up, he ignored her. She says,"Alex, did you hear me? It's time to line up." He looks up and says (very matter-of-fact) ,"My name isn't 'Alex'. My Mama calls me 'Red'." :)

Just Like the Pros...

While my parents were here, Papa picked up where he had left off on Red's golf lessons. Before they left for Minnesota, we had gotten Alex a putter and Papa had taught him to putt. He was actually quit good when he would take his time and line up.

My Dad was tickled when he found out that the little golf course in Lindsay didn't mind if Alex practiced there and for the bargain price of six dollars, they could play nine holes! Red loves to go places with Papa and was very excited to be able to go golfing.

The first time they went, Mom and I met them for lunch afterwards. Dad looked pooped and when I looked at the score card I felt like nominating Papa for sainthood. It looked something like this:
first hole- Papa 3, Alex 16
second hole- Papa 4, Alex 19
third hole- Papa 4, Alex 20.

After that, there were no scores. I asked Dad if things got any better. He said the scores were pretty much the same except after the third hole he let Alex putt his too. That went on for nine holes....Papa is officially a SAINT!!!

Alex was of course no worse for the wear. He was ready for the back nine. The only little hiccup was that he was so excited and having so much fun, he had a little accident.

Alex's score card:
-1 pair of camouflage undies

The next week, Papa took Alex again. We had a long talk about letting Papa know if he has to go. Even if you're having lots of fun, you can stop and then come back to playing. Red agreed.

Like the last time, Mom and I met the boys for lunch after their game. As Alex slides into the booth next to me at Taco Bell, I immediately ask him if he needs to go. He says no then changes his mind. We head to the restroom. As he sits down, I realize, he's had an accident, a bad accident...very bad...

Alex's score card:
-1 pair camouflage undies
-1 pair sport themed boxer briefs

When we get back to the table, I tell my parents about the accident. My Dad kinda giggles then proceeds to tell me that the while they were out there, he asked Alex a few times if he had to go. Alex said no. Then on the next to the last hole, Dad says Red squats down in front of his ball, kind of grunting.
Papa: Alex, do you need to go to the bathroom?
Red: No.
Papa: What are you doing?
Red: I'm doing like the pros do, Papa!

Dada says after that he was kinda acting funny... Poor guy. This will be one of those embarrassing stories that as an adult you pray no one will tell and will haunt you forever!!!

I actually joined them for the third round. I hadn't been golfing in years. I had an amazing time. No mishaps. Only a great bonding experience for Me, Alex and Papa. Can't wait to do it again.

Easter

A Picture...

Truly is worth a thousand words. Over the weekend we went to the "Happiest Place on Earth"!!! Yep, Disneyland. We decided to go to California Adventure Friday afternoon and Disneyland on Saturday.

We had such an awesome time watching the parades. Alex loves to be the "pre-parade entertainment". He gets right out in the center of the parade path and jumps, dances and sings. It's too cute. He had so much fun seeing all of the characters. This time he loved them all.

The last time we had gone, Alex wasn't tall enough to ride a couple of the rides. Thanks to a major growth spurt, this time he was able to ride them. We rode Soaring Over California, Big Thunder Mountain, a cute little jelly fish ride and Star Wars. He was so excited!

As we rode the Monorail, I was trying to talk him in to riding the Matterhorn (he did last time). He looks at me and very seriously says, "Nope, you and Dad can ride it. I'll stay here." This cracked up the people sitting by us. He remembered that at the end a big snowy monster pops out...he made it clear he did not like that! : )

I have to tell you all something I did. (Franky was insistent on this since I wrote about him dragging Alex in one of my posts!) We had gotten sandwiches for lunch. They came plain and you were able to doctor them up at a little salad bar type area. I was fixing Alex's for him. He likes his sandwiches with mayonnaise, so I put it on, finished fixing my sandwich, then we go sit down.

Now Red has a hard time sitting still for anything. He was getting out of his seat jumping around, pretending to be a dog (licking my arm) when I tell him to "SIT DOWN AND EAT!!!" He sits and takes a huge bit of his sandwich immediately sticking out his tongue (food all over it) and says,"Mom, it's too spicy!" To which I say, "It is not spicy. Just EAT!" (I'm thinking turkey sandwich with mayonnaise is about the most bland thing you can eat.) He proceeds to pick at the sandwich, eating only small bites of turkey, some apples and grapes. He pushes away his plate almost a whole sandwich left on it. I take a bite of the (almost whole) turkey sandwich and my mouth immediately begins to burn...what I thought was mayo was actually HORSERADISH!!! Poor, Red. Lesson learned...

So what about the picture at the beginning of the blog? On Friday night, we left the park at around 10:15 and walked back to our hotel. Alex had not had a nap all day and was still going strong when we arrived at our room at 10:45. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Then at 5:15 am woke us up and says, "Come on! It's morning time! Let's go eat and go to Disneyland!" We did just that. Got to the park as it opened at 8:00 am and went all day. At around 6:00pm, clouds began rolling in, the wind kicked up. It was COLD. We were talking about getting something to eat when Franky suggests we just go back to the hotel and order a pizza. We were waiting for a protest but Alex said that's what he wanted to do. We got on a bus to head back to our hotel and didn't get one block when our little red head fell fast asleep. : ) He was pooped!

What fun. Can't wait to go back next year. Red may be just tall enough to ride all of the roller coasters Franky refuses to ride with me!!!

The Party's Over...

Alex's fourth birthday was awesome! We all had such a great time. The kids all loved being able to dress up like pirates. They ran around yelling out piratey things, played some fun games, ate some really good food and helped Alex open all his booty.

Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean even made an appearance! Alex was thrilled. It's funny that even though his has never seen the movie, he knew exactly who he was. He was delighted to pose and have his picture taken with him. (See picture in slide show.)

Everything went without a hitch. Luckily no adults were forced to walk the plank. : ) Franky and I were talking that it is going to be hard to top this "piratey" party. We've already began to think of themes for next year. I threw out a cowboy themed party. Little did I know Red's ears were perked when I said this. Today when I picked him up from school, he asked his friend Taylor if he wanted to come to his "Cowboy Party" tomorrow for when he turns five....

Captain Redhead's Piratey Party...

What's a Pirate's Favorite Letter?

Corny joke compliments of Tim, Alex's Godfather.

Yes, we are turning into Pirates here in the Lerda household, gearing up for Alex's fourth birthday. It is going to be so much fun. My friend Miriam and I made the invitations, my friend Martha and I are making a Pirate Ship cake, and I made all sorts of other "piratey" things. I can't wait. Alex is over the top excited and is keeping a count-down on his easel in his bedroom.

I'll be sure to post lots of pictures so everyone who couldn't attend can see!!! Until then, see ya' later Mateys.

Happy "Heart" Day...

What an awesome day totally dedicated to celebrating those we love. We had a pretty fun Valentines Day this year. It was a normal day, meaning Franky and I worked and Alex went to school, but fun none the less.

I got a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Franky got a round of golf at River Island. Red got balloons and a little stuffed monkey that reminded me of him!

On my lunch break, I took Alex's teacher some flowers. When I got to his school, he was playing in the sand box with a very cute little girl dressed completely in pink with matching bows in her hair. I greeted Alex and was talking to him about his day when the little girl approached me. She says, "My name is Brooklyn. You know, Alex is my friend. He is never mean to me." I say,"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm so glad Alex is your friend." She says, "Yeah, Alex even gives me hugs and he kisses my arms." I say," Oh my goodness, he gives you kisses? He's supposed to save all of his kisses for me!! Alex, do you give Brooklyn kisses?" Alex with a huge grin spread across his face says, "No-Yeeaahh." How cute is that?!

Hope you all had fun on Valentines Day...And if you ever see a little "red-head" passing out kisses, it just might be Alex. : )

Silly Guy